1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sports equipment, and, more specifically, to a kicking shoe for use in the traditionally American game of football.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the game of football has captured the imagination and enthusiasm of a substantial portion of the public. A place kick, wherein a stationary football was kicked either from a tee, or from a held position, was a play typically executed several times in every football game. The ability of a player to accurately kick the stationary football for a substantial distance was a skill highly valued at both amateur and professional levels of the sport. Thus, a continuing need existed for a technique or apparatus to improve the range and/or accuracy of a kicker.
Various attempts have been made to improve the range and accuracy of a stationary football kicked from a tee or from a held position. The traditional kicking technique involved a direct approach by the kicker toward the ball, with the kicking foot being swung in a common plane with the intended trajectory. To improve the range of such a "head-on" kicking technique, hard-faced kicking shoes were introduced, with a block mounted in the toe region which contacted the football. The block in the toe was substantially rigid, and produced a sharper impact upon the football than would an ordinary athletic shoe. The sharper impact in turn increased the range of a kicker.
Subsequently, a technique of "soccer-style" kicking was introduced, wherein the kicker approached a teed-up or held football from a path diagonal to the intended path of travel of the ball. Soccer-style kicking gave the kicker the ability to increase the available momentum by lengthening both the radius and the length of the arc through which the kicking foot was swung, and also permitted the kicker to utilize a larger proportion of the body muscle structure to propel the kicking foot. The actual contact with the ball occurred on the instep of the kicking foot. The resulting notable increase in range produced a general adaptation of the soccer-style kicking technique.
Notwithstanding the developments of the past, football games continued to be won and lost according to the particular range and accuracy abilities of individual kickers, and a need continued to exist for a method or apparatus to improve upon these parameters.